Lady Charlotte Guest and the Mabinogion; some notes on the work and its translator, with extracts from her journals

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LADY CHARLOTTE GUEST AND THE
MABINOGION.

• • •
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LADY CHARLOTTE GUEST

AND

The Mabinogion

Some Notes on the Work and its Translator, with
Extracts from her Journals.

By

D. RHYS PHILLIPS

F.L.A., F.S.A., Scot.

cK:

1921.
CARMARTHEN : PRINTED BY W. SPURRELL & SON.

2 '^'^~'

PREFACE.

The Swansea Mabinogion Society has, since its founda-
tion as a Reading Circle in 1912, met fortnightly in winter
to study the W^elsh Classics ; in summer it has devoted
many happy Thursday afternoons to antiquarian rambles
in the surrounding districts of Glamorgan. An account
of these activities appeared in a volume of Transactions,
published in 1916. In the following year the Society
commemorated the Anniversary of The Welsh at Ypres
(Oct. 31, 1914), with a lecture delivered by one of its
members, Mr. J. D. Williams, editor of the Cambrian
Daily Leader. This was printed in 1918.

The first work studied was the Welsh Mabinogion, and
to that circumstance the Society owes its name. It was
not unfitting therefore that, when Mr. D. Rhys Phillips's
articles revealing the facts of Lady Charlotte Guest's
Translation appeared recently in the Western Mail, the
Society should have sought the permission of the author
and the editor to reprint the material in permanent form
for the use of its members. Mr. PhiUips's timely contribu-
tions elicited the approval of leading Welsh scholars at
the time they appeared. He has now enlarged his notes
in a manner which places Lady Charlotte Guest's life
and labours clearly before the public for the first time.

On behalf of the Society,

D. ]\IoRLAis S.\MUEL, Chairman.

(Rev.) R. S. Rogers. B.A., )

[ Vice-Chairmen
William Lewis, J. P., )

J. Owen Jones, Treasurer.

Talnant, Secretary.

B

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The Eno^lish Version of the
Mabinogion.

There is a story current at Oxford of three scholars who
had set out to produce a perfect book, the three under-
taking to correct separate proofs ; when the work was
finally issued from the press H was discovered that even
the first page was not free from errors. The literary
antiquary finds pleasure in trying to solve the problems,
or to correct the mistakes, of those who have gone before
him, and in turn he himself provides a fair field for the
eagle eyes of his successors. There are thousands of books
in circulation which bear no author's name, and there are
others erroneously credited to men who never put pen to
paper. Imprints there are which perpetuate the names
of houses that never possessed a press or a single line of
type, while others credit, say, Aberavan with what was
actually printed at Neath. As in the fields of printing and
authorship, so also in the arena of translation : things are
not always what they seem, and, conversely, facts do not
always escape being mistaken for fiction.

In the Western Mail of April 21, 192 1, there appeared a
very interesting contribution by Mr. John Ballinger,
C.B.E., M.A., Chief Librarian of the National Library of
Wales, on the Centenary of Thomas Stephens, author of
The Literature of the Kymry. A few days later a corres-
pondent signing himself 'Ap Dowlais' inquired as to the
truth of 'the assertion often made, particularly in the
Merthyr and Dowlais districts, that Stephens was the
actual author of the Translations from the Mabinogion,
which are up to the present officially credited with being
from the pen of Lady Charlotte Guest.'

8

In llie varied but interesting correspondence which
followed, Mr. E. J. Williams of Pontypridd, Mr. R. E.
Williams of Llanllawddog, Mr. E. Pryce Roberts of Sully,
Mr. Ifano Jones of the Cardiff Public Library, and Mr.
Ballinger took part, the latter closing his letter with the
words :

'There is no evidence, so far, that she did not herself
plan and carry out the scheme for presenting the Mahin-
ogion to English readers : until such evidence is forth-
coming the reasonable course is to give Lady Guest the
full credit.'

All this reminded us of inquiries we had pursued in
igi6. In 191 1 two beautifully illustrated volumes had
appeared, entitled, Lady Charlotte Schreiber's Journals :
Confidences of a Collector of Ceramics and Antiques ....
from 1869 to 1885. These were edited with an excellent
introduction by her third son, Mr. Montague Guest (who
died suddenly when on a visit to the late King Edward
VII. at Sandringham before the work was finished). We
asked the late Countess of Bessborough if her mother's
earlier Journals contained any detailed references to the
Translation of the Mahinogion : a work handsomely
printed by W'. Rees of Llandover3^ in seven numbers,
during 1838 — 1846, and afterwards bound in three sump-
tuous volumes.

Though at that time busily engaged as Hon. Secretary
of Princess Victoria's Auxiliary Commiittee for the in-
spection of the Y.M.C.A. Recreation Huts for Soldiers at
the Base Camps in France (which work she did not long
survive, for she died in 1919), the Countess kindly replied
on September 26, and in the course of her letter said :

'I delayed answering your letter till I was able to
look out extracts from my mother, Lady Charlotte
Guest's Journal. I now enclose you samples of the
kind of details I could send you. I have typed copies
of her unpubUshed Journals from 1822 to 1852, and 1
find that I have noted in the margin where she alludes

to working at her translation of the Mahinogion ; so
that I could very easily find you a great choice of ex-
tracts for publication.'
By Oct. 17, 1916, the Countess had sent us all the details
she could find, covering the period 1837-45. The war
being then at its height, publication was postponed and
the material lay aside in the Countess's own brown en-
velope till this year of grace, when the Western Mail
correspondence, refreshing an erring memory, caused
it to be taken out of its resting-place and made known.

Sir William Davies, the Editor of the Western Mail,
ever keenly interested in the elucidation of Welsh literary
problems, suggested that the Extracts should be printed
forthwith in the columns of that journal. There were
good reasons for giving the facts to the public through the
medium wherein the question of authorship had been
recently raised, and therefore the Extracts appeared, with
an introductory note, in the issues for May 18-20, 1921.
So far as we are aware, no scholar of note (except, per-
haps, the Comte Hersart de la Villemarque, who is exposed
in these extracts, under May, 1842, in a manner which
somewhat conforms with the view of his coimtrj-men)
has ever doubted Lady Charlotte's office as editing trans-
lator of the various texts and compiler of the learned and
voluminous notes appended thereto. Those who are
familiar with the three volumes need not be told that
Lady Charlotte's position is therein openly and frequently
declared. But unlettered gossips and certain village
writers have always found it difficult to believe that an
English lady could effectually surmount the difficulty of
rendering into English a series of texts written in early
Mediaeval Welsh, which none but a capable Welsh scholar
could at that time read with intelligence, and which but
few then living had ever actually seen.

In his letter to the Western Mail Mr. Ballinger showed
that dates alone put Thomas Stephens's name out of
court ; indeed, he was little known till he won the litera-

10

ture prize at Abergavenny in 1848.* He is not mentioned
in Lady Charlotte's Journals for 1838-45. As to the point
raised in Mr. R. E. Williams's letter, had he looked at
Vol. Ill, page 72, he would have found that Lady Char-
lotte acknowledged in her Notes to the Pwyll story that
* Nearly the whole of the Mabinogi of Pwyll Pendevig
Dyved has already been printed with a translation in
the Cambrian Register, and the story has also appeared
in Jones's Welsh Bards.'

The Register had ceased publication in 1818, before the
serial issue of Pwyll came to its end. With this version
at her side, it is reasonable to conclude that Lady Char-
lotte's task was lightened considerably ; but, as Mr.
Ifano Jones has pointed out, the renderings are by no
means identical. Lady Charlotte is by far the better
stylist.

Now the translation of Pwyll, which appeared in the
Cambrian Register, was the work of Dr. Owen Pughe.
His translation of Math ab Mathonwy was printed in
the first volume of the Cambrian Quarterly, and the fifth
volume of the same magazine (1833) contains his English
version of Hanes Taliesin, which Lady Charlotte Guest
shows was less comptete than her own. At Pughe's re-
quest, the London Cymmrodorion had, in 1831, resolved
to print the Mabinogion in Denbigh 'under his superin-
tendence' {C.Q. iii. 253), but this would seem to involve
only the W'elsh text. The resolution was never carried
out.

How far Dr. Pughe proceeded with his translations
beyond the three stories already mentioned we cannot
discover, and his biographers do not help us. He died in

* Stephens, who was but a chemist's apprentice, aged i6, when Lady
Charlotte began translating the Mabinogion in 1837, appraises her
work .is follows in The Literatttre of the Kymry (for printing which
in 1849 he was indebted to the generosity of Sir John and Lady
Charlotte Guest) :

" Her version correctly mirrors forth the spirit of these antique

stories, and is as much distinguished for elegance as fideUty."

II

June, 1835, and two years later Lady Charlotte Guest
entered upon her task. In compiling her notes she made
considerable use, with full acknowledgment, of Dr. Pughe's
printed books. As to his translations of the texts, she
seems to be aware only of the three printed versions we
have mentioned. We may safely conclude, therefore, that
she possessed none of his MSS.

It will be noticed that a translation of Kilhivch and
Olic'cn, by Justice Bosanquet, is mentioned in the Journal
for Dec. 4, 1837 ; but there is no further reference to it.

In Les Mabinogion, a scholarly French edition published
in 1 913 and dedicated to the memory of Gaston Paris,
Professor Loth examines Lady Charlotte Guest's version
at length. He points out passages that have been sup-
pressed and, Uke Sir Owen Edwards, who edited the
Fisher Unwin reissue in 1902, instances an occasional
departure from a literal translation. He is on correct
ground w^hen he states (pp. 8-9) that Lady Charlotte's
Welsh text was a copy made by Tegid from the Red Book
of Hergest :

'Le texte gallois du Livre Rouge communique a lady
Charlotte Guest est une copie faite par un litterateur
gallois John Jones, plus connu sous le nom de Tegid.'
But when (p. 6) he declares that Lady C. had at hand
a literal translation made by a Welsh scholar, he is ap-
parentl}' less well-informed. There is clear au-
thority only for Dr. Pughe's three renderings, whereas
Lady Charlotte translated and published twelve of the
romances. These are Dr. Loth's words :

'Lady Charlotte Guest ne savait guere le gallois ;
elle a travaille sur une version litterale d'un savant
gallois et, a force de penetration, de conscience et de
talent, reussi a en faire une traduction d'un grand
charme et qui ne denature pas I'original dans I'ensemble.'
In his second work on the History of Merthyr (p. 223)
Charles Wilkins states that Lady Charlotte was 'aided by
Tegid, by Taliesin Williams, and by Thos. Jenkins' ; but

12

probably the latter rendered assistance only at an earlier
stage, when she was picking up the strands of the ancient
language. As to the others, the Journals are quite clear.
They show that at the outset the Rev. John Jones (Tegid)
and the Rev. Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) had promised
Lady Charlotte their assistance. In the printed notes to
the Dream of Rhonahiijy there is an acknowledgment of
valuable information she had received from another
Welsh scholar, the Rev. Walter Da\nes (Gwallter Mechain).
In October, 1841, Taliesin \A'illiams, then head of a cele-
brated school at Merthyr, brought her a version of Taliesin.
The numerous footnote references to books quoted or
consulted indicate that she had at her elbow a host of
printed authorities, quite encyclopaedic in their extension.

But Lady Charlotte's chief helper and trusted friend
was the great Carnhuanawc — an older man and a more
fervid Welsh scholar than the coldly critical but brilliant
Thomas Stephens (to us a familiar name from childhood,
for his father, Evan, was the shoemaker to our grand-
father's establishment at Beili Glas, Rhigos), who defeated
Thomas Price in more than one important eisteddfod
competition. Still, Price remained a dominating person-
ality in Welsh literary assemblies till the end of his career.

The entry dated December 8, 1837, shows that Lady C.
had purposed from the first to translate the stories
herself. Under January 6, 1838, she confesses that the
work was difficult for her, 'being so little conversant
with the Welsh' ; but in the following July she found
herself able to 'understand the old Welsh words' even
without a dictionary.

The Journals indicate that Carnhuanawc was usually a
guest at Dowlais House for one or more days preceding
the dispatch to press of each number of the Mabinogion.
He read the Notes aloud, adding his criticisms, and to-
gether he and Lady Charlotte 'polished off' the trans-
lations (see entry for Feb. 5, 1838). That he enriched the
product and did it con amore, there is little room for doubt.

13

With a dominant will and exemplary fidelity Lady C.
pursued her self-imposed task for a period of eight years —
working at it while touring the Continent in 1838 ; amid
the distractions of her work as one of the heads of the
Dowlais Works ; even during periods of child-bed in 1838
and 1839. Is there anything like it on record ?

Translation apart, the voluminous notes appended to
each story bespeak a range of knowledge and a breadth of
scholarship — English, Welsh, and Continental — -which
mark her out as one of the most remarkable women of
that Victorian age.

The publication of her work inaugurated a nev^^ era of
Romance study in Britain, on the Continent, and in the
United States of America (now a most productive field).
A bibliography, though we have no space for it, would be
worth undertaking. Suffice it to say that redactions of
her tales are still being issued in v-arious forms, here and
elsewhere.

What was Lady Charlotte's incentive to the study of
Welsh ? The seat of the Lindsey family was near Lincoln ;
therefore it may be assumed that, except through the
possible inspiration of a Welsh or Gaelic-speaking nurse,
she had no predilection for that language.

Her son, Mr. Montague Guest, explains in his Intro-
duction to the printed Journals of 1869-85 that as a
child she was thrown very much on her own resources,
her mother being kind but easy going, and 'her father'
(more correctly her step-father, the Rev. Peter Pegus ;
for her own father, General Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of
Lindsey, was 68 years old when she was born, and he died
six years later) by no means indulgent or sjnnpathetic.
' The first thing she did was to set to work to educate
herself. She was a voracious reader ; she learnt, and
was proficient in French, German, and Italian, and,
with the aid of her brother's tutor, she studied Greek,
Latin, Hebrew, and Persian, for all things Oriental
appealed strongly to her. She learnt to etch on the
c

14

copper plate, and her productions were far above those
of the ordinary amateur. She loved her Chaucer, and
to the day of her death she could repeat from memory
whole pages of her favourite author.

'In 1833, when she was 21 years of age, she married
my father, Sir John Guest. He was then 49, and a
widower, and was the owner of one of the largest iron-
works in the kingdom, at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil,
in S. Wales.

'She had not long been married before she attacked,
and proceeded to make herself proficient in the Welsh
language. The result of her studies was the translation
and publication of the celebrated Mahinogion, or Tales
of King Arthur's Round Table, upon which was founded
The Idylls of the King, by Lord Tennyson. Some years
after, Lord Tennyson told one of my sisters that it was
the first book he read after his marriage, and that he
was so struck with it that it inspired him to write his
poem. He was anxious to make my mother's acquaint-
ance, which at a later time he accomplished. He asked
her, amongst other things, what was the proper pro-
nunciation of the vowel E in Enid. Should it be short
or long ? In one of the passages of his book he had
written " Geraint wedded Enid," which would be all
right with the long E, but was impossible, he said,
with the short one. When he was told that it should
be short, he at once altered the word to " Geraint
married Enid." It is the custom for ladies, in the
present day, who have christened their daughters Enid,
to pronounce it as with the long E, but in this they are
undoubtedly wrong.

'She took, as was natural with her, the keenest in-
terest in her husband's large ironworks, and under his
guidance she soon mastered all the details of them.
She plunged into " double entry " and kept the most
accurate accounts of the works, which she balanced at
the end of the year.'

15

Lady Charlotte began to keep a journal in 1822, at ten
years of age. Her son makes various quotations from
these records to illustrate his mother's varied pursuits,
the catholicity of her mind, and the strength of her as-
pirations— though the Mabinogion portions of the diaries,
from which we quote at length further on, were left un-
touched by him. One extract depicts her discussing a
contract for rails for the Midland Counties Railway ;
another refers to the firm's new offices in the City. Hereon
she makes a statement which marks her dominant person-
ality and genius :

'They have paid me the compliment of fitting up a
room for me there, and I think it is a retreat that I
shall often be tempted to resort to from the gaieties and
interniptions of Grosvenor Square. I have so schooled
myself into habits of business that it is more congenial
to me to calculate the advantage of half per cent, com-
mission on a cargo of iron than to go to the finest ball in
the world. But whatever I undertake I must reach an
eminence in. I cannot endure anything in a second
grade. I am happy to see we are at the head of the iron
trade. Otherwise I could not take pride in my house
in the City, and my works at Dowlais, and glory (play-
fully) in being (in some sort) a tradeswoman

' If I occupy myself in writing, my book must be
splendidly got up and must be as far, at least, as decora-
tion and typography are concerned, at the head of
literature, and I delight in the contrast of the musty
antiquarian researches and the brilHant fetes and
plodding counting house, from all of which I seem to
derive almost equal amusement. And then I can sit
and laugh at the gravest of them all as vanities, and
moralise upon the thought of how soon the most im-
portant of them will cease to be of any avail or interest
to me. Yet while they last and while there is youth and
health to enjoy them, surely it cannot be wrong to take
pleasure in the various blessings of this life. I trust to

i6

God that I may not be puffed up with them. For in-
deed to me He has been abundantl}^ merciful, and I
fully feel my entire dependence upon His mercy, and
how one breath would send the whole fabric of my
pleasures and my happiness to the earth, and leave
worse than a blank behind' (pp. xxiii., xxiv.).

From the same source we gather that when at Canford
Manor, after her marriage to Mr. Charles Schreiber, M.P.,
and before the marriage of her eldest son Ivor,

' She was generally to be seen busily employed setting
type, or reading over and correcting proofs at my
brother's private Printing Press.'

Sir Ivor Guest (Lord Wim.borne) printed at this Canford
Press, and bound in one volume, his mother's prose version
of Enid and the poem by Tennyson.

Lad\- Charlotte was well over fifty years of age when
she began her famous Collection of China, subsequently pre-
sented to the nation and now housed in the Victoria and
Albert Museum, South Kensington. Her son tells us that

' She threw herself into her pursuit with her character-
istic energ3^ and it from henceforth became the passion
of her life. She hunted high and low, through England
and abroad : France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy,
Turkey, all were ransacked ; she left no stone unturned,
no difficulty, discomfort, fatigue, or hardship of travel
daunted her or turned her from her purpose.'

Later she devoted herself successively to the garnering
of Fans and Playing Cards, donating both collections to
the British Museum.

There are not many references to Wales in the printed
Journals of 1869-85. When on a visit to Turkey in July,
1878, this entry was mtade : 'Enid took us out for a drive
in her new landau up to the Reservoir in the forest of
Belgrade ; most charming scenery, something like that of
the Vale of Neath.' Lady Charlotte and Mr. Chas.
Schreiber visited Margam in December, 1880 : 'They all

17

shot the coverts on Tuesday and Wednesday, and C. S.
nearly suffered seriously in consequence. Mr. Talbot sent
part of a charge into him instead of into a woodcock. The
great mercy was that it did not hit his eye.' Under March
15 of the same year she refers to the political complexions
of the Guests : two of them were contesting elections as
Liberals and two as Conservatives :

' The political moves in my family are becoming most

perplexing For myself I am different from

them all. I hold on to my old Whig principles in domes-
tic policy, but I go with the Conservatives in their
Eastern and other foreign policy, and I utterly abhor
Gladstone and all his works, politically speaking.'

During the last five years of her life Lady Charlotte,
though practically bereft of sight, was never idle, but
occupied her time with knitting comforters for the London
cabmen. Her son 'Monty' writes of her: 'She was a
woman wdth a deep sense of moral duty, very self-pos-
sessed and calm, with an extraordinary control over her
feelings.' She died on the ninth of January, 1895.

Of her father's lineage Burke says {Peerage, 1875,
P- 725) :

'This noble family, which eventually obtained the
highest degree of rank in the British peerage, springs
maternally from the Willoughbys, original Barons de
Eresby, and paternally from the Berties of Bersted in
Kent.'

In the succession are Peregrine Bertie, 1580, nth Baron
Willoughby de Eresby ; Robert, 12th Baron, who in 1626
was created Earl of Lindsey ; Robert, 4th Earl, who in
1706 was advanced to the Marquisate of Lindsey and in
1715 created Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven (his first
wife being Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Wynne, Bart., of
Gwydir) ; Brownlow, 5th Duke, dying without issue male,
the higher honours ceased except the Earldom of Lindsey,
which passed to a kinsman. General Albemarle Bertie (a

i8

descendant from the 2nd Earl, died in 1666), who became
9th Earl. By his first marriage he had no issue. His
second wife was Charlotte S. Elizabeth, daughter of the
Rev. C. P. Layard, D.D., Dean of Bristol, by whom he
had—

(i) George A. F. A. Bertie, loth Earl ; (2) Montagu
P. ; (3) Charlotte Elizabeth, married first, 29 July, 1833,
to Sir Josiah John Guest, Bart., M.P., of Dowlais, who
died in 1852 ; and secondly, 10 April, 1855, to Mr.
Charles Schreiber, a Fellow of Trinity College, Cam-
bridge, and son of Col. J. A. Schreiber of Melton, Suffolk
(who had served under the Duke of Wellington).

Lady Charlotte's father, the 9th Earl of Lindsey, having
died in 1818, her mother married secondly on 14 April,
182 1, her first cousin. Rev. Peter W. (Burke insufftciently.
names him 'William') Pegus, by whom she had issue one
daughter, Maria Antoinetta — the 'Mary' of the 1837-45
Extracts — who later became Marchioness of Huntly.

The details reproduced from her Journals in the follow-
ing pages give an absolutely trustworthy account of
Lady Charlotte's labours in translating the Mabinogion
into an epoch-making English edition. They serve the
useful purpose of finally laying the ghost of an oft-re-
curring misconception, and are, moreover, valuable as
literary memoranda. The human interest which sur-
rounds Lady Charlotte's appraisements of certain notable
contemporaries adds piquancy to the narrative.

Certain explanations have been added in square brackets.
The references to services rendered by the well-known
Glamorgan antiquary, Mr. G. T. Clark, and to various
personal and family matters, incidents, and interests
should be pleasant reading to many besides those who
dwell among the hills of Glamorgan.

EXTRACTS

From the Journals of Lady Charlotte Guest, 1837—1845.

[First mention of her intention to translate into English the Welsh Mabinogion.]

1837.

Nov. 30. — Mr Justice Bosanquet has, through Tegid,
kindly lent me his copy of the Llyfr Cock yr Hergest — the
Mabinogion, which I hope to publish with an English
translation, notes, and pictorial illustrations. Price, of
Crickhowel, and Tegid have promised their assistance, and
by God's blessing I hope I may accomphsh the under-
taking.

Dec. 4. — I returned at dusk and read part of the Tale
of Kilhwch and Olwen translated by Justice Bosanquet
from the Mabinogion. It pleases me much. There is a
great field for Annotation.

Dec. 8.— The [Welsh] MSS. Society want to take the
Mabinogion into their own hands, beheving that I have
given it up. We have to arrange to prevent this, and
also to go into some plan for translating Justice Bosanquet's
copy, as I do not feel incUned to give up m\' scheme of
publishing it myself. Mr Jones [Tegid] came shortly after
this. He has taken Justice Bosanquet's MS., and is to
copy from it one story at a time in a fit manner to go to
the press (viz., in modern orthography which will be more
generally useful) and send them to me to translate.

1838.

Jan. 6. — I worked busily at my translation, which is
rather difficult for me, being so little conversant with the
Welsh, and the Mabinogion being in such a cramped and
ancient stvle.

20

Jan. 9. — A good deal of translation before luncheon,
after which, in spite of intense cold, I went out.

Jan. 12. — I was very busy all day with the [a name in
the Mabinogion] and in searching for rnaterial for notes.

Feb. 5. — To-day and Tuesday I was very busy finishing
my translation of the Mabinogi of — - — • (which I have
worked very hard at ever since the fifth day from my
confinement), preparatory to Mr. Price's coming to talk
over with me the method of printing, publishing, etc.
To-day (Wednesday) he arrived by the mail, and just
before he came I went downstairs for the first time. We
had a great deal of conversation, and after dinner we
polished off my translation slightly for the Press. But
being willing to keep very rigidly to the original, very little
alteration could be made in my version, which will, I fear,
appear rather clumsy English.

Feb. 26. — Up early. Wrote to Tegid, who frightens
me by talking of giving someone else a Mabinogi to
translate.

March 3. — Tegid dined with us.

July 21. — Before I had reached Newbridge I finished
reading the story of Geraint ah Erbin, which had amused
me aU the way down. It is the Mabinogi I have fixed
upon to translate next, and it is a very interesting one. I
had forgotten my Dictionary, and was quite surprised to
find that I could understand the old Welsh words without
one.

July 30. — I saw Longman, who is publishing my Mabin-
ogion.

Aug. I. — In the present case I was more particularly
hurried, ha\ang to settle against many things about my
book, which will be published during my absence.

Aug. 16. — Zurich : A fine view of the lake. Here I
spent the morning in writing letters and copying some
Welsh.

Aug. 22. — Lausanne : I had employed myself in the
morning in copying out the translation which I made in

21

pencil in the carriage. The story I have chosen for the
next number of the Mahinogion is Gcraint ah Erhin.

Aug. 31. — ^Milan : It was a busy but not very amusing
scene. After tea I wrote Geraint.

Sept. 15. — Como : Again it was a regular wet day. I
employed it in writing Welsh.

Sept. 30. — Florence : Feeling still much tired. We read
together, and I wrote some Welsh.

Oct. I. — I wrote a good deal of Welsh this evening.

Oct. 6. — Florence : During all this week, when not
sitting or dri\-ing out, I have worked very hard at my
Welsh. I have been very much annoyed at still hearing
nothing of the first number of my book. It ought to be
out by the 9th, which is the Cymreigyddion [day at Aber-
gavenny], but I have not yet seen it even advertised. I
read over it, and fancy that I left several inaccuracies
uncorrected (which I trust, however, is not the case), and
sometimes I am very anxious for the result.

Nov. 2. — Lyons : It was near nine when we got to
Lyons. I read the beautiful Mahinogi of Breuddwyd
Ronabwy to-day. Yesterday I read Ludd Llevelys.

Nov. 8. — Paris : I went to some of the booksellers to
try and see my book, but I could not even make out that
it is published. It is not in any of the advertising Hsts.
Singular it is that I have never once heard it mentioned,
or received the slightest intelligence respecting it, since I
left England more than three months ago.

Nov. II. — Paris : I v/as awake very early and got up
fatigued. I wrote a little Welsh.

Nov. 17.— I went, however, to Longman's, and got a
copy of my book, which is certainly got up most beautifully.

Dec. 6. — Tegid came to see me before I proceeded on
my journey to-day. Mr. Clark (his friend) also called
and brought with him the Llyfr Cock for me to look at.

Dec. 10. — Mr. Price came to-day to pay us a visit, and
in the evening we glanced over the list of notes to Geraint.

Dec. II. — Mr. Price drove to Crickhowel to fetch my

a»igBy.ff''ir'ii fjgai

22

translation, which I had sent him from abroad, and which
he had imraediately left there.

Dec. 12. — This translation we began reading over quietly
and correcting together.

Dec. 13. — Mrs. Crawshay called. Worked hard at the
translation both to-day and Friday.

Dec. 15. — To-day Mr. Price went home. The time
during his visit has been much broken in upon, and con-
sequently we had only time to read over and correct the
translation of Geraint.

Dec. 17. — -Mr. Price and Mons. de la Villemarque came
to-day. The latter is a Breton, and came over to attend
the Abergavenny Cymreigyddion. He has also a com-
mission from the French Ecole des Chartres to investigate
Welsh literature and write a report upon it. He is a cele-
brated and agreeable young man. He it is who made me the
translation of the Chevalier an Lion, which I have printed
at the end of the first number of the Mahinogion. He is
well versed in these matters.

Dec. 22. — -Mr. Price, after talking over my notes with
me, went away this morning.

1839.

Jan. 20. — I finished the abstract of the French Geraint
ah Erbin, Erec and Enidc.

Jan. 23. — -I wrote part of a note on Brecehande in the
morning, but was far from well.

Jan. 27. — My Book is now quite at a stand. I have but
little time and no energy to pursue it. The woodcuts are
still uncommenced. But that is no fault of mine.

Jan. 31. — Much the same sort of day as the two preced-
ing, with the addition of a bad face ache ; still I have
struggled hard against suffering, and done more to my
book this week than for an age before. Note on Breceliande.
Villemarque is becoming wild in his notions and presumes
on my good nature, because he corrected the press of the
last part of the Chevalier an Lion (which it was necessary

23

he should, as no one could correctly read his transcript, so
vilely was it written) : he writes to insist on Rees signing
his name to the printed copy and saying it is published
by him. Poor Rees is annoyed. Of course, I can consent
to nothing of the sort.

Feb. I. — Wrote much to-day.

Feb. 5. — I set to work in earnest about writing my
notes for Geraint, but did not do much. The same occupa-
tion entirely filled the two succeeding days likewise. . . .
I scribbled a great deal about Enid, and gave my fancy
play. I do not know yet whether I shall be able to make a
pretty note on the subject of her very interesting character.

Feb. 8. — I had written hard all day.

Feb. 17. — Almost every day I have been busy writing
notes for the 2nd No. of my Mahinogion for several hours.

Feb. 22. — I went to the British Museum to make some
references which I required. . . . Though tired I set to
work hard on my notes. 'Merthyr ' [Sir John Guest] went to
Brooke's in the ev^ening, so I applied myself in right earnest,
and by midnight had finished all that it was in my power
to do to them at the present stage. They have taken me
altogether about a fortnight. One week before I left home,
and about the same time since I have been here. But
while engaged upon them I have had many other things
to do, so that they have not occupied my time exclusively.

Mar. 2. — A very busy day .... I went on, however,
with my notice of the German version of the Chevalier au
Lion, by Hartmann von der Aue, for my second number.
On comparison I find it coincides almost entirely with
Chrestien's Romance.

Mar. 6. — Sent off a packet to Rees of notes to the
Chevalier an Lion.

Mar. 8. — ^I tried to begin translating a new story for my
third number, the Dream of Ronabuy. It is very tiresome
and difficult Welsh, and I did not get on much with it.

Mar. 10. — Fearing to put anything off, I have been
writing my notice of the Icelandic Sir Ga-d'aine, and now.

24

except corrections and revisions, I consider my part of
Ihe second number quite off my hands.

Mar. 13. — • .... Worked very hard during the day.
Villemarque has got Tegid to copy for him one of the
Mabinogion {Perediir), and he is going to publish it im-
mediately in France. This, I consider, will be forestalling
me, and it annoys me a good deal. Tegid sends me,
however, the transcript as it proceeds that I may
make a copy of it for my own use, and I shall
bring it out next after Geraint, who is going rapidly
through the press. Villemarque will, I fear, get the
start of me, as I must wait for some information I
expect from Stockholm respecting Geraint before I close
that subject altogether by beginning to print Peredur, or
any other story. It is very singular that Peredur (as well
as the two tales already done) exists in several other
modern languages, Icelandic, English, French, etc. The
tale is the same as that well known under the title of
Per civ al de Galles. I work very hard.

Mar. 27. — ^I to-day finished my transcript of Peredur.
... in the morning arranged the subject of the two first
woodcuts, which will be required for it.

Mar. 28. — To-day I worked hard at the translation of
Peredur. I had the pleasure of giving birth to my fifth
child and third boy to-day.

Mar. 30. — I was well enough in the afternoon to correct
with 'Merthyr's ' assistance one of the proof sheets of my
book sent up by Rees.

Mar. 31. — On the sofa, wrote several letters there.
Several of which were on my business, and in furtherance
of my design of printing Peredur as soon as possible My
dear husband has been extremely kind about all this.

April I. — I had to finish correcting my proofs.

April 9. — ^Nethercliff came here and made me a facsimile
from Sir John Bosanquet's MS. of Peredur, which is an
ancient and curious one, and which he has been kind
enough to lend me. I was employed also about other

25

woodcuts for the work. W. Landcll sent me a beautiful
sketch for one. I am having another copy made from my
transcript of Peredur, that I may hav^e it to translate from,
while Rees prints from mine. Researches are being made
for me at the British Museum as to Percival de Galles and
the Sangrael, so that I have much going on towards my
book in different directions. Although I have twice
written to beg Tegid to get me a facsimile from the Llyfr
Coch, he has given me no answer. I returned his Peredur
to him the ist of the month. He has promised to copy
for me all the Mabinogion in the Llyfr Coch which are not
in the collection I printed from. It would be a great
advantage if he would correct the press of Peredur. I
hesitate asking him. I am not sure that he may be safely
trusted with the secret of my proceedings. [She was bent
on forestalling Villemarque.]

April 12. — ^I wrote my book on retiring to my own room.
May 4. — All this time my book occupied me much, but
made little progress.

May 6. — I spent this day again in the City, taking my
proof sheets there to correct.

May 10. — Peredur had for a long time languished, but I
occupied myself much with him to-day. Writing much
of the translation with a pencil as I went along.

May II. — Much of the time in the Cabin. I had a long
sleep, and also wTote a good deal of my translation.

May 14. — Mr. Price, of Crickhowel, came to-day, and
we looked over part of my translation in the evening.

May 15. — Peredur is, I may now say, quite ready for
the press. Only a few pages of translation remain un-
completed. I do think it has been got up and brought
through the press with great speed, considering that seven
weeks ago I never dreamt of printing an}i:hing but Geraint.
Since that tim.e I have transcribed it, translated it, written
the notes, provided the decorations, and brought it almost
out of the printer's hands.

^MMMMMk.

26

June 15. — After ' Merthyr ' [Sir John Guest] went I wrote
for my book till late.

July 17. — I had a visit from Tegid.

July 30. — I believe it was yesterday that Col. Vaughan
called on me (who lent me his fragment MS. of Geraint
ah Evhin to get a facsimile from it), and it was yesterday
that I received the first copies of my second number of
the Mabinogion, which contains Peredur ah Evrawc.

July 31. — Lord Mostyn kindly promised to lend me, at
some time, his copies of the Mabinogion.

Aug. 5. — This was a very busy day with me, yet I found
time to go to the British Museum.

Aug. 29. — -In the evening I wrote some Welsh. I am
now preparing Kilhwch and Olwen for m^^ fourth number,
the third is in the press, and will contain Geraint.

Nov. 20. — I wrote a little Welsh to-day.

Dec. 12. — -I worked, and did a good deal towards revising
Geraint notes, both this day and Friday.

Dec. 18. — During Mr. Layard's absence I read over
some of my notes with Mr. Price.

Dec. 19. — Gave som,e time to reading over the remainder
of my notes with Mr. Price.

1840.

Jan. 31. — Then I took ' Merthyr ' [Sir John Guest] down
to the House of Commons, and I spent the rest of the
the evening in writing my poor neglected Mabinogion.

Feb. 27. — -Mr. Briddle and 'Merthyr ' were out much to-
day. ]\Ir. Price and I read over my printed Peredur,
comparing it with that in the Cymmrodorion MS., from
which it differs but slightly.

Feb. 29. — Mr. Price went away early.

March 22. — Saw Dr. Locock, for I am very unwell indeed,
and have quite lost all energy, so much so that I have left
off printing No. Ill till after Easter. I am now quite
unfit for any exertion. Martin [late tutor to her brother,
the Earl of Lindsey] has sent me some notes on origin

27

of Romantic Fiction, but they will be of no use for my
book.

April 20. — On this and the three following days I was
engaged in translating Kilhwch, and did a great deal
although extremely ill, quite unable to enjoy the beautiful
warm weather which we now have.

April 25. — I did but little comparatively to my Welsh
to-day, for the weather was delicious, and ' Merthyr ' took
me out in his gig.

May 2. — I was very ill and languid, and lay most of the
day on the sofa writing but little of Kilhicch ....

June 27. — A very busy morning correcting proof sheets,
etc. . . .

Jul}' 22.— This and the three following days were spent
much alike by me. I finished Ronabivy on Thursday.
On Friday I had a great deal to do with accounts, and on
Saturday copied a great deal for the press, a considerable
portion of my translation of Kilhivch.

July 29. — Mr. Price finished reading my Percival to me,
and in the afternoon we looked over some other matters
connected with the MS. and M. and L. No. of my book.

July 31. — Prepared notices of foreign compositions to
follow Peredur.

Aug I. — I was fully employed, till midnight indeed, in
making a kind of abstract of the EngHsh Metl. Percival,
for the notes on Peredur. The MS. in parts is rather
difficult to copy from. I have some thoughts oi transcrib-
ing it entirely.

Aug. 2. — I have been very busy during the week, for
not having any other occupation that presses more par-
ticularly, I betook myself to transcribing the MS. of the
English Percival, and truly with such weather and with
all attendant circumstances, it has been the very luxury
of copying. The poem consists of 2288 lines. 1 began
on Monday morning and on Saturday strove to finish it, as
no other version exists of the romance in English (indeed
the very copy I have been transcribing from is unique).

-'-<MtM!l«a«aHHKI>OTHnMqi*«Wl'i-"i "■' WH'i

28

I am greatly disposed to print it in notes to Peredur,
which commences the 3rd No. of the Mahinogion, now so
long in the press. There is much unity of design in this
Percival and naivete, though it can boast but little poetical
excellence.

Aug. 10. — -To-day I pursued my transcript of the Kil-
hwch for the press.

Aug. 17. — -To-day I recommenced work by beginning to
translate the Amlyn and Amyc as I lay in bed.

Aug. 18. — Translation in the morning, which in the
evening Miss Rudecour began to put on paper for me.

Aug. 20. — I am now set on studying the costume of the
Mahinogion, with the view to determining more precisely
the date in the present form.

Aug. 31. — I have been employed to-day altering copy
for the notes to Peredur.

Sept. II. — I always rally when I have plenty of work
to do. To-day I had cheques to draw for the works and
other things appertaining to business to attend to, besides
correcting a proof sheet for the Mahinogion.

Sept. 19. — -I sat alone in the library doing the Geraint
notes.

Sept. 24. — Spent a pleasant day at home, colouring some
facsimiles for the Mahinogion in the morning.

Oct. 6 (at the opening of the Taff Vale Railway). — My
third No. of the Mahinogion, which I had been taking
great pains to bring out of the press in time, was produced
during Mr. Price's speech, and elicited some very flattering
expressions on my behalf. Those from the Bishop of St.
David's [Dr. Thirlwail] were most gratifying to me as
coming from one whose praise is, indeed, valuable.

Nov. II. — Mrs. Waddington [mother of Lady Llano ver]
brought me the essays written for the prize given at Aber-
gavenny 'on the influence of the Welsh Traditions on the
Literature of Europe.' The prize was given to Schulz.
Villemarque also wrote for it, [and so did the Rev. Thomas
Price]. His essay was really very amusing to me. He

29

[Villcmarque] made great use of my Mahinogion, and
scarcely made any acknowledgment. On the contrary, he
delicately insinuated that I did not write the book niyself .
(A degree of moral turpitude which he dare not openly
accuse me of). The secret of all this is his anger at being
unable to forestall me in the publication of Perediir, March,

1839-

Nov. 16. — We were quite alone to-day, and I worked
away transcribing for No. 4.

Nov. 20; — Breakfast over, we went into the library. I
set to work copying out my EngHsh translation of Kilhwch.

Nov. 21. — Again to-day I wrote Kilhwch, and finished
my transcript late in the evening.

Nov. 24. — I wrote some Welsh, but felt idle and
dispirited.

Nov. 28.— I wrote a little of Amlyn and Amyc.

1841.

Jan. 4. — Mr. Clark and I had a tete-a-tete dinner, and
in the evening he made some criticisms on my MS. transla-
tion of Kilhiich.

Jan. 16.— Meantime I have been very busy translating
Welsh. The story 1 am now engaged in is Amlyn and
Amyc. It is not a very interesting one.

Jan. 18. — Wrote some Welsh very industriously.

Jan. 28.^ — I seldom read, and, when I do so, it is for most
part to cram for notes for my book. No. 4 goes on very
slowly.

Feb. 12. — I sat writing Welsh till near midnight. First
part of the evening was taken up by business in the school-
room, and then I wrote Welsh.

Feb. 24. — Finished Amlyn and Amyc, about which I
have been so long occupied.

Feb. 26. — Studied for notes to Kilhivch, and commenced
translating Puyll Pendevig Dyved.

March 23. — Went on with translation of Branwen.

March 26. — Very poorly all day ; I wrote Braniven.

mm

30

Aug. 3. — I was quietly at home, scarcely stirring out of
the house, and worked hard at my Kilhwch.

Aug. 7. — The same routine of assiduous note writing
on my part continued uninterruptedly.

Aug. 14. — I worked very hard. . . I sat up late this
evening, and had the pleasure of entirely finishing my
Kilhwch notes before going to bed. I need not say how
glad I was to have completed this lengthy task, yet, per-
haps, hardly any portion of my life has passed more agree-
ably than the days which I have spent working hard with
them.

Sept. 27. — I wrote some Welsh after the children had
gone to bed, and felt desolate beyond expression.

Sept. 30. — ^ Welsh in the evening.

Oct I. — Wrote some Welsh this evening.

Oct. 4. — Finished my translation of Branwen this even-
ing.

Oct. 5. — Late in the evening Mr. Price arrived ; we read
over some of my Kilhwch notes after the late dinner.

Oct. 6. — Mr. Price read aloud more of my notes, criticis-
ing them as he went on.

Oct. 8. — Read over notes until evening ; the only
interruption was a visit from Mr. Buckland, and after
dinner I went to w^ork again, and 'Merthyr ' assisted me by
copying, etc.

Oct. 18. — I have been well but sometimes rather tired,
yet I have not given way and have even continued finishing
up my KiUmch notes in the evening, when the children
have gone to bed.

Oct. 26. — -The first event was a visit from Taliesin Wil-
liams. He came to see me on the subject of the Mabinogion
of Taliesin, which is imperfectly printed from his father's
MS. of it in the Cambrian Quarterly. He gives me a correct
translation script to appear in my series.

Oct. 27. — -Translated some of the Mabinogion of Man-
aivyddan Mab Llyr, which I have just commenced working
upon.

31

Nov. 5. — Finished translating the Mabinogi of Man-
awyddan Mah Llyr this evening.

Nov. 6. — To-day I made a translation of the Dammeg
yr hanner Dyn for the Kilhivch notes. I felt on going to
bed to-night that I had at length got comfortably through
all that had to be done for my present number.

Nov. 19. — Translation, and took up Math ah Mathonwy
as my next story.

Nov. 21. — I got to my dressing-room about twelve or
one o'clock, and wrote a certain amount of Welsh.

Dec. 2. — I was much engaged with my books.

Dec. 3. — Mr. Sheridan called before going to Cardiff.
After his visit I wrote until dinner, and had just finished
my translation of the Mabinogi of Math ab Mathonwy
when, to my surprise, dear ' Merthyr ' returned.

Dec. 28. — I sat up upstairs correcting proofs, etc. I felt
weak and poorly.

Dec. 30. — Very busy correcting proof sheets in the
morning.

Dec. 31. — I spent the morning in my own room and
corrected proof sheets.

1842.

Jan. 18. — ' Merth3r,' who seems to have plenty to do
everywhere, had to be in the town for the rest of the day.
I spent it alone at the inn, and took the opportunity of
reading over the Welsh Mabinogi (or, rather, romance) of
Boun — the Sir Bevis of English celebrity. It is nearly
as dull an affair as Amlyn and Amic, and certainly is not
improved in its Welsh dress.

Jan. 19. — This morning we again embarked to go back
to Wales, but we went upon the Newport Packet, Newport
being more convenient to us than Cardiff for going on to
Llansaintffread, where we were engaged to visit the Hutch-
inses that day. It was one of the most beautiful mornings
I ever saw. The sky so clear, yet the air so mild for the
season. We had a most agreeable passage, and were met

32

at Newport by the carriage to take us on. It was about
half-past two, I think, when we proceeded. As we had to
pass through Caerlleon I could not resist the temptation of
going to see the site of the old Roman Amphitheatre there,
which goes by the name of Arthur's Round Table. It is in
a field near the river, and is of considerable extent. There
are no inequalities in the ground to mark where the seats
have been, but the form of the theatre in general is very
clearly defined. It would require a great stretch of imagina-
tion to suppose that the hero of the Mahinogion had really
anything to do with this interesting spot. However, the
name of King Arthur is so associated with that of Caerlleon
upon Usk, that I did not wish to be too critical, but tried
to fancy the British monarch's court held among the moun-
tains here. The town itself is not good, but its position
is very beautiful, and the situation of the castle, which
I had not time to explore, very imposing. I doubt not
but the place and the scenery look much more to advantage
in summer — ^the snow which was over part of the country
was a great drawback to-day. Before leaving Caerlleon
we called at the house of Mr. Jenkins, a tradesman in the
town, who was said to possess some curious coins that
had been found here. I was disappointed, however, in
what he showed us. From, Caeilleon we had a delightful
drive to Llansaintft'read, passing through Usk, of which
the castle is apparently a beautiful ruin.

Feb. 22. — No. 4 of my Mabinogion is published. A
copy of it came to me in town. A very great relief to me
to have it out of my hands, for correcting the notes was
very tedious, and required a great deal of care and precision.

March ii. — -Went to Williams about the woodcuts for
No. 5, which is to contain Breuddivyd Rhonahwy, and is
already in the press.

March 17. — -I tried, though not very successfully, to do
something towards the notes of Rhonahwy.

March 24. — It was fine, and ' Merthyr ' went out, but I
was anxious to get on with my Rhonahwy notes, and sat

33

writing alone. I did most completely enjoy this day. It
was all so calm, and my work prospered nicely.

I\Iay 20. — At hmch-time George Clark came. I showed
him a book I have received from Villemarque called
Contcs Bretons, which contains a translation into French
of the first three parts of the Mabinogion, and in which
he tries to make it appear that he has translated straight
from the Welsh without any obligation to mv version.
He has followed me servilely throughout, and taken my
notes, without any acknowledgment except in one un-
important instance. Altogether it is a most shabby pro-
ceeding, but the man is too contemptible to be noticed.
During the morning ' Merthyr ' sent me most kind notes
from, the House of Commons, doing all he could to soothe
my ruffled feelings, but though he might calm me about
what had passed in the morning before he went out, he
could not prevent my feeling ver\- ill. At night I was
hardly fit to move, but I took Mary [Lady Charlotte's
half-sister, Miss Pegus, afterwards Marchioness of Huntly]
to Lady Powis's, and stayed there with her at a ball till
daylight.

June 8. — Rio called yesterday morning. I showed him
Villemarque's book, and he expressed himself very dis-
gusted. 'He may now,' he said, 'be called L'homme
Marque more aptly than La Villemarque.'

June 28. — I had a visit to-day from Mr. Lockhart. I
showed him Villemarque's book, and asked if he thought
anything could be done about it ; he said it was difficult,
but if a good review were sent to him, of my book and
exposing Villemarque's dishonesty, he would put it in the
Quarterly. George Clark has undertaken to do it. I am
all an.xiety to see how he will manage it. The subject is a
large and interesting one. It requires to be lightly and
skilfully handled.

July 22. — Lepsius to-day brought me a copy of Schulz's
translation of the Mabinogion into German, given in a
very different spirit from that of Villemarque's. Schulz

34

is scrupulous in all his acknowledgments. In the midst
of all my private anxieties, I have forgotten all note of
public sorrow. The premature death of the Duke of
Orleans throws a gloom even in England ; how much more
deeply it must be felt in France.

July 28. — George Clark here. Some discussion about
the best course to adopt, the AthencBum having reviewed
Villemarque's book with great praise, and treated it as an
original. We concocted a letter to Rees, my publisher [of
Llandovery], to send to the Editor explaining the facts.

Aug. I. — I worked hard at the notes of Rhonabwy until
very late.

Aug. 2. — I was very busy all day with notes, but did
not accomplish much.

Aug. 3. — 'Notes again .... At eight I left town with
Katherine by the railway, reading for my notes all the
way.

Aug. 5. — -I wrote notes busily all day, and did not go
out.

Aug. II. — ^It was a lovely day. 'Merthyr' went into
Cardiff, and I sat writing notes all the morning.

Aug. 19. — -I had the pleasure of finishing all my Rhona-
bwy notes to-day. They niay require to be copied again,
and perhaps slightly altered ; but, at all events, it is a great
relief to have the groundwork done.

[Here there is an interval, during which Lady Charlotte
was touring in Germany.]

Nov. 14. — -Notes for the Mahinogion occupied most of
my time.

Nov. 15 and 16. — I may give a similar account.

Nov. 21. — 'Merthyr' went early to Sully. It was such
a lovely day I felt tempted to go with him, but gave it up
and turned as cheerfully as I could to my dull Mahinogion
notes.

Nov. 23. — -To-day I wrote notes till the last moment.

Nov. 28. — -I did not go out, but I worked hard and sent
off a vast number of notes.

35

Dec. 24. — At night we had a disagreeable game of whist,
after which I sat up writing Mabinogion notes till very
late.

Dec. 29. — Mary [Miss Pegus] and I amused ourselves
colouring one of the Percival tracings to Mah. No. 3.

1843.

Feb. 6. — All this week I remained at home (except to-
day I took some of the children to see the soldiers manoeuvr-
ing), and never ceased working at the Mabinogion notes
for the future numbers. I believe I have finished all now
except the topographical notes, which will not take very
long.

Feb. 18. — I have been reading the first number of my
Mabinogion, ' larlles y . . . ' [sic] to Ivor and Maria
[Lady Charlotte's two eldest children], and I never saw
anything equal to their dehght. It was so great that it
would alone have been sufficient to repay me for all time
and trouble I have bestowed upon the book. It is astonish-
ing the ideas they have of middle-age manners and society,
without which these tales would be quite unintelligible.

March 3. — I wrote hard and finished my translation
of Maxen Wledig, enjojdng the fine weather by means of
an open window.

March 6. — My day was a very busy one, yet I found
time for some Welsh.

March 7. — Again very bus}' ; a little Welsh, but not
much, in the evening.

March 8. — I have to-day finished all that is in my power
to do towards the Mabinogion. It is a vast weight off my
mind. The only stories I have to print, viz., Branwen,
Manauyddan, Math ab Mathonwy, Hanes Taliesin, and
Brciiddxvyd Maxen Wledig, are now in MS. translation,
and so are their notes, all except the topographical ones,
which I am forced to leave until I get materials for them
from those who know the localities, but which take only

36

a very short time for me afterwards to throw together.
I may have to make transcripts of some of these again for
the press, but that is mere mechanical work. The Gral is
the only other story I contemplate giving, but of that I
have as yet no Welsh copy. I have written to Col. Vaughan
to beg the loan of his, but though it is two months since
I have received no answer. The tales of Anilyn and Amic,
Seith Doethion, Bown o Hampton, which have generally
been considered to be Mabinogion, I find to be mere vapid
translation from some Norman original, and shall, there-
fore, exclude them from my series, or if I give them at all
I shall do so in an appendix, printing the Welsh only un-
translated and in smaller type. Perhaps the Historia
Charlamaen and the Historia Charlys ought to stop ?
Rhonahivy and Puyll are now nearly through the press.
The only thing that now presses upon me is the introduc-
tion and a preface, which I am more or less appalled at.
And now that my seven babies are growing up and require
so much attention, it is quite right that I should have
done with authorship. I am quite content with what will
have been done when the present work is concluded, and
I am sure if a woman is to do her duty as a wife and mother,
the less she meddles with pen and ink the better. I shall
feel very glad when the last number is out of the press;
as it is, the respite is a great rehef. With much to do on
my hands it was near midnight before I got to bed, and
soon after six I was called to prepare for the journey.

March 24. — I had letters to write this morning, and
also proofs to correct.

June I. — Maria's lessons occupied this and the next
two days almost incessantly, but I have begun a transcript
for the press of Math ah Mathonuy, for which I have
managed to find some spare moments.

June 6.— I transcribed Math ah Mathonuy most as-
siduously.

June 17.— I took advantage of Maria's afternoon walk
to finish entirely the notes to Math ah Mathonuy, a task

37

which has been long on my mind, and which I felt the
greatest satisfaction in having got through.

June 21. — These two days I have been busy translating
the story of Lltidd and Llevelys, which I finished this
afternoon.

June 28. — In every interval during the day I employed
myself upon my Welsh, and transcribed the Dream of
Maxen Wledig for the press before night. I had begun it
yesterday, but wrote then only about half a page.

June 29. — I have begun copjdng Sir Degrenance from
Thornton MS., but do not get on very quickly with it.

July 22. — To-day our youngest bab}^ [Enid, christened
'Mary Enid Evelyn,' who aftersvards became wife of Sir
Henry Layard, G.C.B., the discoverer of Nineveh] was four
weeks old, and we took her to be christened. . . . The
baby's names are given, the first after my sister, Enid after
the heroine of the Mahinogion (see No. 3), and the last
because it was a fancy of Mary's. Enid is such a favourite
character with the elder children (as well as with myself)
that they begged hard that she might be called so. Besides,
as being born in Wales, it is fitting she should have a
Welsh name to mark her origin. All our Welsh-born
children have except Augustus, whom, however, I always
call Geraint, though he has no baptismal right to the
appellation.

1844.

Feb. 3. — The carriage went in early to-day to meet
the packet in case 'Merthyr' should return by it. I was
consequently in a considerable state of excitement. I
took care to keep m\-self incessantly employed, and before
four o'clock I had finished transcribing Lludd and Llevelys
for the press. . . .1 have finished the story of Pwyll to the
children this evening after tea. They delight in these
Mahinogion readings.

Feb. 8. — I wrote letters and copied from the Thornton
MS. Sir Degrenance, and spent a very busy happy day.

38

Feb. g. — I did not go out, but occupied myself almost
incessantly with my transcript of Sir Degrenance.

Feb. i6. — As soon as dinner was over 'Merthyr' went
to the House. I made an effort, and sat up and finished
copying Sir Degrenance, so that the Thornton MS. might
be returned to Mr. Pretyman on the morrow.

1845.

Oct. 21. — After this I confined myself steadily in correct-
ing the proof sheets of the Welsh Taliesin — ^the Mabinogi
I have now in press, and about which I have been very idle
for some time. I finished my task before the time of
starting, having spent three very quiet hours.

^XFXKe)

V5

*^o be obtained from the Hon. Secretary,
25 Waterloo Street, Swansea.

* Transactions of the Swansea Mabinogion
Society/ 1912-16.

Post 3/- Free.

*The Welsh at Ypres/

By J. D. Williams.

Post 1/3 Free.

*Lady Charlotte Guest and the Mabinogion'

By D. Rhys Phillips

Post 2/6 Free.

"XEy(K5r^

Carmarthen : Printed by W. Spurrell and Son.

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